Zion

We just got back from the most amazing trip to Zion National Park in Utah to celebrate our 10 year anniversary this summer! We have had many adventures together, but I think this was our best yet. 

We flew into Vegas on Friday night and after staying with one of Jason's friends, we headed to Zion the next morning. After stopping for a lunch with this view, we knew we were in for a great time. 

 While looking at the lodging options in town, I fell in love with the Desert Pearl and booked our room this winter. When the weather turned miserable here in Iowa, or my students tested my patience, I would look at hotel photos and thought about this trip. It was worth the wait...here is the view from our balcony. 

 A sign posted in town. 

 After checking in, we quickly headed to the park to get in an afternoon hike on the Observation Point Trail. 

 Unfortunately, we started too late in the day to make it to the the top, but it was still a fantastic hike.  

 The next morning we got up early, had breakfast, and did the Angel's Landing hike. 

 This was not recommended for people afraid of heights: you use metal chains to pull yourself up. We were glad we got on the trail early, because the one-way traffic made it a bit tricky to navigate. 

 We made it up the equivalent of around 301 flights of stairs!

 One of my favorite things to see while hiking: stacks of balanced rocks. This collection was incredible, especially because some were so close to the edge. 

 Using a tip from a local hiker, we continued on to a lesser-known trail off Angel's Landing and enjoyed having the place to ourselves. 

 After a siesta back at our room, we went out for another shorter hike to the Upper Emerald Pool. 

 On our second full day in the park we did the hike I had been waiting for: The Narrows. This hike is done completely in the Virgin River, so we rented water hiking shoes and sticks, which were very helpful. Most of the water was under our knees, but there were times when it came up past our waist.  The entire hike was like a postcard & something we will never forget. 

 After two 15+ mile days of hiking, we were pretty tired, but managed a short hike after dinner that night. 

On our final day we headed out of the main park to hike a less-populated trail that ran by a stream, and included two cabins that were built in the 1930s. 

There were so many moments where the beauty of Zion took my breath away & we are so thankful for our parents for watching the kids while we were away. What a perfect way to celebrate a decade of married adventures!